[image]
[title]The goods After a critical mass of customers began asking, “Can we take that home?”, Kristine Subido, the chef-owner of this chicken shack, decided to can and sell her signature sauces to go. The first, banana ketchup—a puree of super-ripe bananas, ginger, honey, cane vinegar, brown sugar and tomato sauce—“started out as a joke,” says Subido, who grew up eating the artificial banana–flavored sauce popular in the Philippines. Then she realized: “I can make this better and actually use real bananas in it…the flavors would complement the chicken really well.” The second, her P.O. sauce (short for Pecking Order) is inspired by lechon sauce, which traditionally accompanies slow-roasted pig. The secret ingredients: bread crumbs (for thickening) and chicken livers (“That’s what gives it that richness—that flavor”).
Buy it $8 each or $15 for two at Pecking Order (4416 N Clark St, 773-907-9900).
Try it Kristine Subido’s pan-seared broccoli with banana ketchup
Heat a large sauté pan over high heat until very hot. Add two tablespoons of canola oil and heat until almost smoking. Add two garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and one tablespoon of fresh ginger, julienned, and let cook two minutes. Add one head broccoli or broccoli rabe, washed and cut into florets, and a pinch of chili flakes, tossing to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add a half cup of banana ketchup and continue tossing until the broccoli starts to caramelize. Serve immediately.
The goods “We saw peers of ours, like Bill Kim, have a small hit on their hands” with bottled sauces, says Justin Large, Big Star’s chef. So the taqueria launched its own product line: salsa verde (roasted tomatillos, serrano chilies, garlic, lime juice and salt), chipotle salsa (using New Mexico chilies for “a little bit of a fruity note”), serrano hot sauce (“akin to Tabasco…with a lot of the pepper meat in it”) and an al pastor marinade (“achiote seeds give it this really bright orange brick color and also a high note of almost citrusy flavor”) that Large recommends using to give a flavor boost to anything from beef to seitan.
Buy it Salsas are $4.50 each at Publican Quality Meats (825 W Fulton Mkt, 312-445-8977) and Big Star (1531 N Damen Ave, 773-235-4039).
Try it Justin Large’s chile verde
In a large saucepan, heat one tablespoon of canola oil over medium-high heat until rippling. Add a half pound of pork shoulder, cut into quarter-inch cubes. Brown on all sides, then season with salt. Add one medium yellow onion, diced, and two cloves of garlic, minced. Cook until translucent, about five minutes. Add two jars of Big Star Salsa Verde and a half cup of chicken broth. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, stirring frequently and adding more broth if the chile becomes overly thick, until pork shoulder is tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in one bunch of cilantro, chopped, reserving a few tablespoons for garnish. To serve, ladle chile verde into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream, crumbled queso fresco and the reserved cilantro.
The goods The idea behind Stephanie Izard’s new line of products, the Flavor by Stephanie Izard: If you like the green beans at Girl & the Goat (and people really, really like the green beans at Girl & the Goat), you’ll love that flavor on other things, too. Hence Izard recommends the Sauté—a puree of fish sauce, Dijon mustard and a bit of chili sauce, inspired by the dressing on the famous green beans—for sautéing vegetables at home. In addition to sauces, Izard created two spice rubs: The Rub #1 “tastes like Cool Ranch Doritos with rosemary it,” the chef says, and she recommends it sprinkled on a baked potato. The Rub #2, inspired by garam masala, “is great sprinkled on any sort of meat” before cooking. Future additions to the Flavor series include the Marinade, a blend of dark and regular soy sauce, ginger and aromatics initially created for the restaurant’s quail dish, and the Chee, a kimchi-inspired condiment Izard recommends using for everything from salad dressing to wing sauce (whisked with butter).
Buy it The Sauté is $9.75 at Little Goat Bread (820 W Randolph St, 312-888-3455). The Chee will be available by February 1.
Try it Stephanie Izard’s kimchi salad
Toss together a quarter cup of the Chee, a half cup of shaved butternut squash, a quarter cup of shaved fennel, a quarter cup of thinly sliced bok choy, one tablespoon chiffonaded sorrel and one tablespoon of torn basil. Serve as a salad or as a topping on a burger or sandwich.